Team USA looks to continue medal-winning ways at 2026 IBF World Cup
October 09, 2026
ARLINGTON, Texas – Less than two weeks after a squad of six talented American women medaled nine times in 12 opportunities at the Pan American Women’s Championship in Bogota, Colombia, eight fellow Team USA bowlers will be looking to keep the medal-winning momentum going when action kicks off at the 2026 International Bowling Federation World Cup.
The event is scheduled to start on Wednesday and will run daily through Oct. 21 at Max Munich Bowling – Brunnthal in Munich.
The American roster features four men and four women with Andrew Anderson of Chesterfield, Michigan; Ryan Barnes of Denton, Texas; Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas; and Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio; hitting the lanes for men’s competition, while Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio; Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio; and Jordan Snodgrass of Adrian, Michigan; suit up in red, white and blue for the women.
The talented crew of eight has combined to win nearly 140 international medals – 73 of them gold – during their collective time bowling for Team USA and Junior Team USA.
Teams are set to arrive at the 2026 IBF World Cup between Saturday and Monday with the event’s managers’ meeting taking place on the last day of that window.
Official practice sessions and the tournament’s opening ceremony will occur on Tuesday with four days of Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles opening-round action starting on Wednesday and wrapping up on Oct. 17.
The final three rounds of Men’s and Women’s Singles competition and each event’s medal ceremony will take place the following day on Oct. 18.
Team competition in both the men’s and women’s divisions will run from Oct. 19-21. Qualifying will take place on Oct. 19 and 20 with top-16, quarterfinal, semifinal and final-round action playing out on Oct. 21, after which the medal ceremonies and Victory Banquet will bring the 2026 IBF World Cup to a close before delegations leave Munich on Oct. 22.
The trip to Germany will mark Snodgrass’ first international competition since 2023 as the talented right-hander took a hiatus to focus on her highly successful Professional Women’s Bowling Association career.
“I have strong feelings about competing in Germany since this is my return event to Team USA after a couple years away,” Snodgrass said. “I’m extremely happy to be back and excited to compete for my country again. It’s a feeling like no other and one that I’ve missed a lot.”
Pluhowsky certainly knows the feeling well as her legendary talent has afforded her the opportunity to represent Team USA internationally for 26 years; nevertheless, Germany is one country Pluhowsky has never competed in until now. Despite the new venue, the veteran left-hander’s goals remain the same.
“We want to have a good time, but the goal when competing is always to win,” Pluhowsky said. “I’m looking forward to seeing a new country I haven’t been to before and defending our World Cup title.”
Martin is certainly no stranger to winning as she made history back in August by capturing the title at the 2026 PWBA Tour Championship to become the youngest bowler to earn a Triple Crown and win three career PWBA majors at just 22 years, 24 days old.
But while Martin would certainly love to add more individual medals to her trophy case, like Pluhowsky, her primary focus is on helping the Team USA women reach the top of the podium in Munich.
“One of the biggest accomplishments as a Team USA member is to bring home team gold at a world event,” Martin said. “We have shown our dominance the last two times, so my main goal for this event is to continue that legacy.”
Brandolino has established an impressive legacy of her own, winning Junior Gold Championships and Intercollegiate Team Championships national titles as well as succeeding on the world stage while representing Junior Team USA; nevertheless, the 2026 World Cup will mark Brandolino’s first time competing for the adult team. It’s an experience she’s anxious to make the most of.
“I was beyond excited when I got picked for this opportunity,” Brandolino said. “I want to bowl not only for myself but also for my teammates and the United States. I don’t know about expectations, but my goal is to go out and bowl, trust my process and hopefully come home with a medal or two while exploring a new part of the world and getting to know my teammates better.”
While the Team USA women will head to Germany looking to complete a successful World Cup Women’s Team title defense, the American men will go in search of redemption as they haven’t reached the top of the podium in the men’s division’s most prized event since winning gold at the 2022 World Cup in Queensland, Australia.
For Anderson and Barnes, ending that drought is top priority.
“The number one goal is to win the team event gold medal, which is by far the most important item on my career checklist that’s eluded me thus far,” Anderson said. “I think about it literally every single day. My expectation for this trip is to give us the best possible chance to make that victory happen.”
Barnes’ mindset is largely the same.
“The goal is pretty simple, gold,” Barnes said. “Individually, I want to bowl well, but, ultimately, I just want to do whatever I can to help our team bring home gold.
“I grew up watching my parents represent Team USA for years, so being able to wear those same colors and represent our country myself is something that will never get old. Every time I put on a USA jersey, I want to make the most of it.”
Hanrahan burst onto the international scene a bit later than Barnes; nevertheless, he’s equally grateful for the opportunity to represent his country on the lanes.
“It’s always a flood of excitement and emotions just to make the team in January, but to then get the phone call saying that I was selected to compete at the World Cup is another wave of excitement,” Hanrahan said. “I’m most looking forward to sharing the lanes with an amazing group and getting to show the world how amazing our team can be.”
While Via is equally anxious to get out on the lanes, he’s also looking forward to the behind-the-scenes moments that make Team USA excursions special.
“The experience off the lanes during these trips is always memorable as well,” Via said. “Being able to see different parts of the world and sharing those experiences with my teammates will be something I remember forever.”
But make no mistake. Via isn’t viewing the journey to Munich as a vacation; it’s most certainly a business trip.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t had much success in recent years, so I believe we are all hungrier than ever to compete this year. We want to bring that gold back to the USA,” Via said.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.
The event is scheduled to start on Wednesday and will run daily through Oct. 21 at Max Munich Bowling – Brunnthal in Munich.
The American roster features four men and four women with Andrew Anderson of Chesterfield, Michigan; Ryan Barnes of Denton, Texas; Packy Hanrahan of Wichita, Kansas; and Chris Via of Blacklick, Ohio; hitting the lanes for men’s competition, while Gianna Brandolino of Channahon, Illinois; Jillian Martin of Stow, Ohio; Shannon Pluhowsky of Dayton, Ohio; and Jordan Snodgrass of Adrian, Michigan; suit up in red, white and blue for the women.
The talented crew of eight has combined to win nearly 140 international medals – 73 of them gold – during their collective time bowling for Team USA and Junior Team USA.
Teams are set to arrive at the 2026 IBF World Cup between Saturday and Monday with the event’s managers’ meeting taking place on the last day of that window.
Official practice sessions and the tournament’s opening ceremony will occur on Tuesday with four days of Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles opening-round action starting on Wednesday and wrapping up on Oct. 17.
The final three rounds of Men’s and Women’s Singles competition and each event’s medal ceremony will take place the following day on Oct. 18.
Team competition in both the men’s and women’s divisions will run from Oct. 19-21. Qualifying will take place on Oct. 19 and 20 with top-16, quarterfinal, semifinal and final-round action playing out on Oct. 21, after which the medal ceremonies and Victory Banquet will bring the 2026 IBF World Cup to a close before delegations leave Munich on Oct. 22.
The trip to Germany will mark Snodgrass’ first international competition since 2023 as the talented right-hander took a hiatus to focus on her highly successful Professional Women’s Bowling Association career.
“I have strong feelings about competing in Germany since this is my return event to Team USA after a couple years away,” Snodgrass said. “I’m extremely happy to be back and excited to compete for my country again. It’s a feeling like no other and one that I’ve missed a lot.”
Pluhowsky certainly knows the feeling well as her legendary talent has afforded her the opportunity to represent Team USA internationally for 26 years; nevertheless, Germany is one country Pluhowsky has never competed in until now. Despite the new venue, the veteran left-hander’s goals remain the same.
“We want to have a good time, but the goal when competing is always to win,” Pluhowsky said. “I’m looking forward to seeing a new country I haven’t been to before and defending our World Cup title.”
Martin is certainly no stranger to winning as she made history back in August by capturing the title at the 2026 PWBA Tour Championship to become the youngest bowler to earn a Triple Crown and win three career PWBA majors at just 22 years, 24 days old.
But while Martin would certainly love to add more individual medals to her trophy case, like Pluhowsky, her primary focus is on helping the Team USA women reach the top of the podium in Munich.
“One of the biggest accomplishments as a Team USA member is to bring home team gold at a world event,” Martin said. “We have shown our dominance the last two times, so my main goal for this event is to continue that legacy.”
Brandolino has established an impressive legacy of her own, winning Junior Gold Championships and Intercollegiate Team Championships national titles as well as succeeding on the world stage while representing Junior Team USA; nevertheless, the 2026 World Cup will mark Brandolino’s first time competing for the adult team. It’s an experience she’s anxious to make the most of.
“I was beyond excited when I got picked for this opportunity,” Brandolino said. “I want to bowl not only for myself but also for my teammates and the United States. I don’t know about expectations, but my goal is to go out and bowl, trust my process and hopefully come home with a medal or two while exploring a new part of the world and getting to know my teammates better.”
While the Team USA women will head to Germany looking to complete a successful World Cup Women’s Team title defense, the American men will go in search of redemption as they haven’t reached the top of the podium in the men’s division’s most prized event since winning gold at the 2022 World Cup in Queensland, Australia.
For Anderson and Barnes, ending that drought is top priority.
“The number one goal is to win the team event gold medal, which is by far the most important item on my career checklist that’s eluded me thus far,” Anderson said. “I think about it literally every single day. My expectation for this trip is to give us the best possible chance to make that victory happen.”
Barnes’ mindset is largely the same.
“The goal is pretty simple, gold,” Barnes said. “Individually, I want to bowl well, but, ultimately, I just want to do whatever I can to help our team bring home gold.
“I grew up watching my parents represent Team USA for years, so being able to wear those same colors and represent our country myself is something that will never get old. Every time I put on a USA jersey, I want to make the most of it.”
Hanrahan burst onto the international scene a bit later than Barnes; nevertheless, he’s equally grateful for the opportunity to represent his country on the lanes.
“It’s always a flood of excitement and emotions just to make the team in January, but to then get the phone call saying that I was selected to compete at the World Cup is another wave of excitement,” Hanrahan said. “I’m most looking forward to sharing the lanes with an amazing group and getting to show the world how amazing our team can be.”
While Via is equally anxious to get out on the lanes, he’s also looking forward to the behind-the-scenes moments that make Team USA excursions special.
“The experience off the lanes during these trips is always memorable as well,” Via said. “Being able to see different parts of the world and sharing those experiences with my teammates will be something I remember forever.”
But make no mistake. Via isn’t viewing the journey to Munich as a vacation; it’s most certainly a business trip.
“Unfortunately, we haven’t had much success in recent years, so I believe we are all hungrier than ever to compete this year. We want to bring that gold back to the USA,” Via said.
CLICK HERE for more information on Team USA.